Systems and methods for generating and providing previews of electronic files such as web files

ABSTRACT

A system for previewing contents of Web files is provided. The system includes a computing platform for executing a previewing application being designed and configured for: (a) retrieving at least a portion of the contents and/or source code of a Web file; and (b) generating a preview of the contents of said Web file, said preview presenting at least a portion of the content of said Web file.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Phase Entry of PCT/IL01/00172 filed 22Feb. 2001, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/184,331 filed 23 Feb. 2000 and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/246,600 filed 8 Nov. 2000.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a searchable database and to systemsfor generating and utilizing same.

With the advent of the World Wide Web, individuals have at theirdisposal vast amounts of information on a variety of topics. As such, atpresent, the World Wide Web represents the largest single searchabledatabase.

However, since such data is dispersed among a staggering number of Websites, searching for such information can be a daunting task. Tofacilitate Web searching, a number of search tools, termed searchengines, have been created, e.g. Google (www.google.com), Lycos(www.lycos.com), Alta Vista (www.altavista.com), etc.

The use of such search engines enables a user to receive informationrelating to Web accessible files of interest such as Web pages inaccordance with a search query.

Most Internet search engines search for Web files, such as Web pages,video files (e.g., QuickTime™ movies), or music files (e.g., MP3). Theresults returned by the search engine (the result list) is a list ofhyperlinks, that link to the Web files (e.g., Web pages) most relevantto the user's query(s).

Search engine queries are typically effected via keywords, optionallyseparated by Boolean operators (and, or, not), topics, such as, forexample searching through a specific topic, or an index, which providesaccess to a specific topic.

For example, in keyword searches a user querying for “sports and(football or basketball) but not soccer” would typically receive a listof links to Web pages which contain the word “sports” and also containeither the word “football” or the word “basketball” (or both) but whichdo not contain the word “soccer”.

To enable searching, search engines build up databases, which indexinformation on Web files. Such databases are generated by “Web spiders”(also known as “Web robots”, “Web crawlers”, “Web agents”, etc.) whichconstantly scan the World Wide Web in a random, semi-random, orrule-based manner.

Web spiders are computer programs that autonomously connect to WorldWide Web addresses and categorize the information contained thereinaccording to keywords, keyword frequency, font sizes, word placementinside documents, titles, images found, date of last modification,and/or any additional criteria. The categorized information generated isthen stored by the search engine database.

Some search engines, which are referred to as “meta search engines”collect and display search result provided by one or more search engines(possibly after sorting and removing duplicate results). Examplesinclude, MetaCrawler (www.metacrawler.com) and the like.

Thus, following query entry, a search engine uses the categorizedinformation stored in its database to locate Web files such as Web pagesof relevance. Links to Web pages of relevance are then presented to theuser as a list (the result list) which includes a link to the Web pageand typically also a short summary describing the Web file; the resultslist is typically sorted based on match accuracy.

Although such search engines facilitate World Wide Web searching,querying for specific information is oftentimes a trying experience,even when using the most sophisticated search tools available.

Because of the vast amount of information and of the dispersed naturethereof, search results are oftentimes either not specific enough or notaccurate.

For example, keyword searches may yield irrelevant or no results if thedefined keyword is too specific, or they can yield numerous results ifthe keywords used are too generic.

In any case, a user must either broaden the search or be forced todownload numerous Web files in order to sort and uncover the informationsought after.

In the latter case, such downloading and sorting can be a frustratingand time consuming endeavor especially in cases where the informationsought after is not uncovered.

Oftentimes, even in searches which seemingly provide good results,download of multiple Web files is required since the informationavailable in the summary of each result is not sufficient fordetermining the relevance of the Web file to the query made.

In addition, in the case of Web page searches, a user often accessesirrelevant or slightly relevant Web pages resulting from a search queryin efforts to possibly uncover more relevant links within these pages, apractice which further prolongs a search and adds to the frustration ofthe user.

Another common problem encountered by users searching through the Webarises from the existence of several different hypertext links whichpoint to the same Web page or site. Such duplicate links oftentimescontribute to redundancy in search results.

Yet another common problem encountered by users searching the Web arisesfrom “broken” hyperlinks which appear in a search results list. Suchhyperlinks, which cannot be used to link to the site they representbecause that site is down, or no longer available increase thefrustration experienced by users.

There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highlyadvantageous to have, a system and method which would enable a user torapidly asses the accuracy, relevancy, and content of results obtainedfrom a search query and to easily access related Web files such as Webpages even when contained within a Web page directly uncovered by thesearch query.

Surfing the World Wide Web is oftentimes is often a tedious task asconnectivity to some addressed servers may prove time inefficient ornon-available, depending on, user load, maximal bandwidth, presentlyavailable bandwidth and other factors.

There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highlyadvantageous to have, a system and method which will allow efficient Websurfing at all times.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided asystem for previewing contents of electronic files, the systemcomprising a computing platform for executing a previewing applicationbeing designed and configured for: (a) retrieving at least a portion ofthe contents and/or source code of an electronic file; and (b)generating a preview of the contents of the electronic file, the previewpresenting at least a portion of the contents of the electronic file.

According to further features in preferred embodiments of the inventiondescribed below, the electronic file includes at least one file typeselected from the group consisting of text type electronic files, imagetype electronic files, olfactory type electronic files and multi-typeelectronic files.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the electronic file includes audio content.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview includes a sample of the audio content, thesample of the audio content is of reduced quality and/or file size ascompared to the electronic files.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the electronic file includes video content.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview includes a sample of the video content, thesample of the video content is of reduced quality and/or file size ascompared to the electronic file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the electronic file is a Web file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview is an image presenting at least a portion of theWeb page.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the electronic file is stored by the computing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the electronic file is stored by at least one additionalcomputing platform capable of communicating with the computing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the computing platform is further designed and configuredfor converting the at least a portion of the contents and/or source codeof the electronic file retrieved thereby from a first file type to asecond file type prior to, during or following generating the preview ofthe contents of the electronic file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview is an editable file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview is of a file size substantially smaller thanthat of the electronic file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the computing platform is further designed and configuredfor storing the preview generated thereby.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least a portion of the contents and/or source code ofthe electronic file is retrieved from at least one user clientcommunicating with the computing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least a portion of the contents and/or source code ofthe electronic file is retrieved from a server being in communicationwith the computing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the system further comprising at least one additionalcomputing platform being in communication with the computing platform,the at least one additional computing platform storing links to theelectronic files.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least one additional computing platform executes asearch engine application capable of providing the links to theelectronic files as part of a search result list.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least one additional computing platform is capable ofstoring the preview generated by the computing platform.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided amethod of previewing contents of a Web file comprising: (a) retrievingat least a portion of the contents and/or source code of the Web file;and (b) generating a preview of the contents of the Web file, thepreview presenting at least a portion of the contents.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments step (a) is effected by linking to the Web file via a linkthereof and downloading the contents and/or the source of the Web file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the link is included in a results list of a Web search.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview is generated in a manner enabling embedding ofactivatable links therein.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the activatable links are hyperlinks.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview includes an activatable link to the content ofthe Web file.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there isprovided a system for previewing contents of Web files, the systemcomprising a computing platform for executing a previewing applicationbeing designed and configured for: (a) retrieving at least a portion ofthe contents and/or source code of a Web file; and (b) generating apreview of the contents of the Web file, the preview presenting at leasta portion of the content of the Web file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the Web file is a Web page.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the system further comprising a server being for providing alink to the Web file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the link is a hyperlink representing a Web address of theWeb file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the server employs a search engine application and furtherwherein the hyperlink is presented thereby as a result of a searchquery.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the system further comprising at least one additionalcomputing platform being capable of accessing and optionally displayingthe preview generated by the computing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the Web file includes audio content.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview includes a sample of the audio content.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the sample is of reduced quality and/or size as compared tothe Web file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the Web file includes video content.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview includes a sample of the video content.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the sample is of reduced quality and/or size as compared tothe Web file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the preview is a viewable image.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the image is a thumbnail image.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the image is scaleable without substantial loss of quality.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments at least a portion of the image is in a vector format.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the image includes activatable links embedded therein.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the activatable links are hyperlinks.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the Web file is stored by at least one additional computingplatform capable of communicating with the computing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the computing platform is further designed and configuredfor converting the at least a portion of the contents and/or source codeof the Web file retrieved thereby from a first file type to a secondfile type prior to, during or following generating the preview of thecontents of the Web file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the computing platform is further designed and configuredfor storing the preview generated thereby.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least a portion of the contents and/or source code ofthe Web file is retrieved from at least one user client communicatingwith the computing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least a portion of the contents and/or source code ofthe Web file is retrieved from a server being in communication with thecomputing platform.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the system further comprising at least one additionalcomputing platform being in communication with the computing platform,the at least one additional computing platform storing links to the Webfiles.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least one additional computing platform executes asearch engine application capable of providing the links to the Webfiles as part of a search result list.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the at least one additional computing platform is a serveror a user client.

According to still another aspect of the present invention there isprovided a computer readable storage media comprising a databaseincluding a plurality of records each record being a preview of acontent of an electronic file.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the electronic file is selected from the group consisting ofa Web page, an audio file, a video file and a text file.

According to an additional aspect of the present invention there isprovided a method of previewing results of a search query comprising:(a) retrieving at least a portion of the contents and/or source code ofat least one search result file; and (b) generating a preview of thecontents of the at least one search result file, the preview presentingat least a portion of the contents of the at least one search resultfile.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the search result file is a Web page included in a resultslist of a Web search.

According to yet an additional aspect of the present invention there isprovided a system enabling a user to surf the World Wide Web, the systemcomprising: (a) a database server including previews of Web pages eachof the previews presenting at least a portion of a content of a Webpage; and (b) at least one user client being in communication with thedatabase, the at least one user client being capable of accessing anddisplaying each of the previews thereby enabling a user of the at leastone user client to surf the World Wide Web.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments at least one of the previews is generated by the databaseserver according to a user command.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the activatable link is a hyperlink of a Web page.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments activation of the hyperlink results in a display of apreview of a content of a Web page represented by the hyperlink.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments activation of the hyperlink results in access to a Web pagerepresented by the hyperlink.

According to still an additional aspect of the present invention thereis provided a method of displaying Web pages comprising: (a) providing athumbnail image of at least a portion of a Web page; and (b) enablingresizing of the thumbnail image in response to a command.

According to still further features in the described preferredembodiments the method further comprising the step of providing a secondthumbnail image of an additional Web in response to an activation of anactivatable link embedded within the thumbnail image.

The present invention successfully addresses the shortcomings of thepresently known configurations by providing a database and method andsystem utilizing same, which can be utilized, for example, to previewthe content of Web files while conducting searches and/or while surfing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The file of this patent contains at least one drawing executed in colorphotograph. Copies of this patent with color photograph(s) will beprovided by the Patent and Trademark Office upon request and payment ofnecessary fee.

The invention is herein described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now tothe drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are byway of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of thepreferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presentedin the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful andreadily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspectsof the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structuraldetails of the invention in more detail than is necessary for afundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken withthe drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the severalforms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 a is a black box diagram illustrating one embodiment of thesystem of the present invention;

FIG. 1 b is a black box diagram illustrating another embodiment of thesystem of the present invention; and

FIGS. 2-9 represent a sequence of images which illustrate a Web searchas conducted using the system and method of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is of systems and methods for previewing thecontents of electronic files including Web files such as Web pages.Specifically, the present invention enables a user conducting a Websearch or surfing the Web to preview a content of a specific Web pageprior to accessing it, thereby substantially enhancing the ability toscreen search results for most relevant files and enhancing surfingcapabilities.

The principles and operation of the present invention may be betterunderstood with reference to the drawings and accompanying descriptions.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangement of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced orcarried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 a illustrates a system forpreviewing contents of electronic files which is referred to hereinunderas system 10.

System 10 includes a computing platform 12 which executes a previewingapplication designed and configured for: (i) retrieving at least aportion of the contents and/or source code of an electronic file; and(ii) generating a preview of the contents of the electronic file.

The previews are generated by system 10 in response to a specific userquery, or they can be generated automatically according to apredetermined criteria. In any case, the previews generated arepreferably stored by computing platform in an accessible manner.

As used herein the phrase “computing platform” refers to a device whichincludes a data processor, a memory device such as, but not limited to,a magnetic, optic or optic-magnetic memory device, a power source andoptionally a user input/output interface and communication capabilities.

For example, a computing platform can be a personal computer (PC) havingan operating system such as DOS, Windows, OS/2™ or Linux; a Macintosh™computer; a computer having JAVA™-OS as the operating system; and agraphical workstations such as computers made by Sun Microsystems™ orSilicon Graphics™, and any other computer having some version of theUNIX operating system such as AIX™ or SOLARIS™ of Sun Microsystems™ orany other known and available operating system.

For purposes of this specification, the term “Windows™” includes, but isnot limited to, Windows2001™, Windows2000™, Windows95™, Windows 3x™ inwhich “x” is an integer such as “1”, Windows NT™, Windows98™, WindowsCE™ and any upgraded versions of these operating systems by MicrosoftCorp. (USA).

As used herein the phrase “electronic file” refers to a computerreadable file which includes, for example, text, image, audio, videoand/or olfactory content which is created and/or saved in any computerreadable/operable format. The phrase “electronic file” also refers toWeb files such as Web pages, Web sites, and Web objects.

Examples of “electronic files” include, but are not limited to, Textfiles, Pict files, Gif files, Jpeg files, Flash files, Web pages, Websites, music files, MP3 files, Tiff files, HTML files, WML files, XMLfiles, Bitmap files, Wave files, Binary files, Animation files, VRMLfiles, QuickTime™ files, Word files, Windows Media files, Real Networkfiles, streaming files and the like.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, thepreviewing application utilized by computing platform 12 is designed andconfigured such that the preview generated thereby presents at least aportion of the contents of the electronic file.

For example, in the case of electronic files including audio content(e.g., MP3 music files), the preview generated can include a portion(sample) of the audio content (e.g., a few seconds of an MP3 musicfile), or it can include the entire file in a reduced sound quality andthus a reduced file size.

Similarly, in the case of electronic files including image or video(film or animation) content, the preview generated can include a portion(sample) of the image/video content (e.g., a few seconds of a QuickTimemovie), or it can include the entire file in a reduced image or videoquality and thus a reduced file size.

Preferably, in the case of text or combined electronic files (e.g.,text/image), such as for example, files representing Web pages, thepreview is a viewable image of at least a portion of the file.

Such a viewable image file can be created/saved by system 10 in anylayout format type such as, for example, an image format type (e.g.,PICT) or a vector format type, or any combination thereof.

Generation of a preview in an image format is advantageous since itallows accurate representation of elements and/or layout of the originalelectronic file. An image file format can simply be a “snapshot” of theoriginal file as meant to be represented by the appropriate softwareapplication for which it was created.

Generation of a preview in a vector format is advantageous since itallows preview scaling from a small thumbnail image up to a large image(and vice versa) while preserving the quality of the text and/or otherelements embedded within the preview.

Generation of a preview in a vector format which allows embedding ofimages is advantageous since any elements in the original file whichcannot be represented in the vector preview, can be embedded into thevector preview file as an image.

According to a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention,the image preview is generated in a manner enabling the embedding ofactivatable links therein. Such activatable links can be used to linkthe image preview with the original file from which it was generated.Embedding activatable links can be achieved using image maps, and/orusing a file format that can accept commands, such as HTML and/or anyother suitable file formats. This feature of the present invention isfurther described with respect to the Web embodiment of system 10 whichis detailed hereinbelow and in the Examples section which follows.

According to the present invention, the preview generated is preferablyof a reduced file size as compared to the original electronic file.

This feature of the present invention is of particular advantage incases where a user screens a large numbers of files for a file ofinterest, as is further described with respect to the Web searchingembodiment of the present invention which is detailed hereinbelow and inthe Examples section which follows.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, thepreview generated is of a reduced image size as compared to the originalimage of the original electronic file.

This feature of the present invention is of particular advantage incases where a user screens a large numbers of files for a file ofinterest, as is further described with respect to the Web searchingembodiment of the present invention which is detailed hereinbelow and inthe Examples section which follows.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention,previewing application executed by computing platform 12 is furtherdesigned and configured for converting at least a portion of thecontents and/or source code of the electronic file retrieved therebyfrom a first file type to a second file type prior to or duringgenerating the preview.

As used herein the “type” of an electronic file refers to theapplication specific format in which the file is generated/saved.

For example, a preview of an MP3 music file can be generated/saved in aWAVE music file format, or a preview of a QuickTime™ movie file can begenerated/saved in a MOV movie file format.

This feature of the present invention allows a user of system 10 topreview contents of electronic files which cannot be accessed (opened)for a lack of an appropriate software application.

The “type” of an electronic file can also refer to the layout formattype (hierarchical, image or vector). For example, the previewingapplication can convert the content retrieved thereby from ahierarchical format (e.g., HTML) to an image and/or vector format whichenables to store and present such previews as scaleable images as isfurther described herein.

According to one aspect of the present invention, system 10 can beutilized to preview contents of electronic files which are stored bycomputing platform 12.

For example, a user of computing platform 12 which in this case can be auser client such as a personal computer, can preview text, music,olfactory and/or video files stored in a directory including a pluralityof files. Such previewing substantially enhances the ability of a userto locate a file of interest from a plurality of files.

As shown in FIG. 1 b and according to another aspect of the presentinvention, system 10 can be utilized to preview contents of electronicfiles which are stored by at least one additional computing platform 14being in communication with computing platform 12.

Such communication is preferably mediated via a communication network 16although direct communication via wire or wireless means is alsoenvisaged by the present invention.

As used herein, the phrase “communication network” preferably refers tothe Internet as manifested by the World Wide Web (WWW) of computers,although the system of the present invention can also be implementedwithin Intranets or Extranets or any other open or closed communicationnetwork.

Computing platform 14 can be a server 18 storing the content of Webfiles including, but not limited to, Web pages and files such as MP3,MPEG, AVI, WAVE, JPG, GIF, HTML, XML, WML, Windows Media, Real Networks,or QuickTime which are accessible/downloadable through a Web addressprovided for example as a search result.

As used herein the term “server” refers to a computing platform, such asa personal computer, workstation mainframe etc capable of processing,storing and preferably communicating information over a communicationnetwork such as the Internet.

As used herein, the phrase “Web page” refers to any document written ina mark-up language including, but not limited to, HTML (hypertextmark-up language) or VRML (virtual reality modeling language), dynamicHTML, XML (extended mark-up language), WML, or related computerlanguages thereof, as well as to any collection of such documentsreachable through one specific Internet address (e.g., Web address) orat one specific World Wide Web site, or any document obtainable througha particular URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

Alternatively, computing platform 14 can be a user client, the contentsof which are indexed by a searchable server 20 (e.g., NAPSTER-like orHOTLINE-like configuration) which is in communication with computingplatforms 12 and 14 through communication network 16.

System 10 of the present invention can autonomously generate previews ofany Web files specified by a Web address. For example, a user surfingthe Web can be presented with previews of hyperlinks embedded in a Webpage. This enables a user to preview the contents of Web pages withouthaving to actually access these Web pages.

System 10 can also generate previews of Web files which are uncovered bya search performed by a search engine application. Such a search engineapplication can be operated by computer platform 12 or a search servercommunicating therewith.

In any case, search results (e.g., hyperlinks) which are generated bythe search engine in response to a search query performed by a useroperating user client 22 are accessed by computing platform 12 and thecontent (preferably source code) of each corresponding Web file isimported (sequentially or simultaneously) by a Web engine applicationcapable of importing such content.

Following import, the source code of the Web file is processed by thepreviewing application to thereby generate the preview of the Web fileas described hereinabove and further exemplified below.

Preferably, a Web page interface is maintained and provided by computingplatform 12. Such an interface allows a user of user client 22operating, for example, a Web browser application, to submit a searchquery and to receive the previews of search results.

A detailed description of the Web page search embodiment of the presentinvention is provided in the Example which follows.

As used herein, the phrase “Web browser” or the term “browser” refers toany software application which can display text, graphics, or both(using built in features or dedicated plug-ins), from Web pages on WorldWide Web sites. Examples of Web browsers include, Netscape navigator,Internet Explorer, Opera, iCab and the like.

Thus, system 10 of the present invention is capable of providing a userwith a preview presenting a content of a Web file, the link of which isprovided as a search result generated by a search engine application.

It will be appreciated that such search results can be presented inaddition to hyperlinks or as an alternative to hyperlink resultsgenerated by the search engine application.

In the case of a Web page search result and in other applications, thepreview generated is preferably a scaleable thumbnail image of the Webpage pointed to by that link including activatable hyperlinks embeddedtherein. In the case of a Web file search result, such as an MP3 file,the preview generated preferably includes at least a portion of themusic (possibly in a reduced audio quality) represented by the MP3 file,in an audio format which is preferably playable by a Web browser (e.g.,WAVE, QuickTime, MP3, Real Audio, media player, Windows Media, etc.).

System 10 of the present invention can also generate previews of Webfiles which include other sensory information content.

A current and developing Internet trend is to add additional sensoryinformation to Web files such as Web pages. For example, it is nowpossible to add olfactory information to a Web page such that users witha dedicated device containing controllably releasable chemicalsconnected to their client can perceive such olfactory information. Insuch cases, a preview of a Web page can also include at least a portionof such olfactory information.

Thus, system 10 of the present invention generates a database ofpreviews which “mirrors” at least a portion of the content of variousWeb files.

Such previews are preferably stored by computing platform 12 or by anyadditional computing platform which forms a part of system 10.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided apreview database which can be accessed by users communicating withsystem 10, thus negating the need to re-generate the previews each timethey are needed.

Such a preview database can be searched according to an index, keywords,Web page addresses, popularity of Web pages etc.

It will be appreciated that since the previews stored in the database ofthe present invention must reflect the present content state of aspecific Web page, such previews are automatically and constantly orperiodically updated by, for example, comparing the “last modified” dateof a Web page to a generation date of a preview, by updating previewswhich are requested most often, or by updating previews maintainedlonger than a predetermined time period.

Since the database of the present invention enables viewing of Web filepreviews without having to actually access and/or retrieve the Webfiles, it provides numerous advantages to a user. It enables “off-linesurfing” of Web file content without having to actually link to, ordownload such files and in addition it provides a rapid and efficientmethod of previewing the content of such Web files. This is especiallyimportant in cases of Web pages which are stored by Servers whichcommunicate through narrow bandwidths or which are overloaded and assuch down or inaccessible and therefore are oftentimes difficult orimpossible to access.

In addition, in cases of large Web files such as music files (e.g.,MP3), movie files (e.g., QuickTime) or FLASH rich Web pages, the presentinvention enables a user to preview the content of the file withouthaving to download the file which can be several Megabytes in size andtherefor can take several minutes or more to download.

The database of the present invention preferably provides a user withhyperlinks to the Web file from which the preview was generated and/orto additional related Web files, information relating to theaccessibility of the Web file, the date it was last modified, to thebandwidth through which the server storing the Web file is communicatingwith a communication network and any statistical information relating topreviews.

It will be appreciated that the system of the present invention can beutilized to generate the preview database described above in one or moreuser clients according to searches effected by user(s) thereof. In thiscase, a user can maintain previews of Web files searched thereby and inaddition share such previews with other users communicating therewitheither directly or though the system of the present invention. Forexample, a specific user query submitted to the system of the presentinvention can be used to query previews stored by one more user client.This feature of the present invention enables the generation andmaintenance of a large preview database which is dispersed among userclients thus negating the need for maintaining a single database in aspecific location.

Thus, the present invention provides a database and system utilizingsame which enable rapid and accurate searching through, for example, Webpages/files while enabling a user to determine, without downloading oraccessing specific Web files, the accuracy, relevancy, quality and/orgeneral content of the results returned in response to a search query.

In addition, the present invention enables a user to preview a specificWeb file even in cases where such a Web file cannot be accessed ordownloaded on-line.

Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the presentinvention will become apparent to one ordinarily skilled in the art uponexamination of the following example, which are not intended to belimiting. Additionally, the various embodiments and aspects of thepresent invention as delineated hereinabove and as claimed in the claimssection below finds experimental support in the following example.

EXAMPLE

Reference is now made to the following example, which together with theabove descriptions, illustrate the invention in a non limiting fashion.

Presentation of Web Page Search Results

A Web site has been created which permits rapid searching of Webpage/file information (http://www.seek2c.com, the content of which isincorporated herein by references). This Web site has been created tofacilitate accumulation of data and was kept confidential from thegeneral public prior to filing of the instant application.

The Web site generated, enables a user communicating therewith to searchfor Web page information according to user specified keywords and toview previews of Web page content as search results.

For example, and as specifically shown in FIGS. 2-9, a search queryincluding the terms “NY and “maps” returns a list of links 50 eachincluding a title and a Web address, and a corresponding thumbnail image52 which represents at least a portion of the content of the Web pagecorresponding to the link (FIG. 2). Any “broken” or inaccessible linksare represented by image 53. Images 52′ represent previews which are inthe process of generation/loading.

The system of the present invention generates the preview page by:

(i) using propriety or commercially available search engine software tosearch the World wide and obtain link information for Web pages relevantto the search query; (ii) using a Web spider to link to the relevant Webpages and to sequentially or simultaneously access and import theircontent; (iii) generating a preview image from some or all of thecontent imported; and (iv) displaying a thumbnail of the preview in asearch result list.

The preview is preferably generated in real time following querysubmission, although in cases where a Web site is inaccessible at thetime of searching, preview generation can be effected at a later pointand the preview stored for future reference.

In cases where a preview file for a particular search has beenpreviously generated and stored in the database, the content of thisfile may be compared to that of the actual Web page during the search,updated if needed, and presented in the search results.

As shown in FIG. 3, by specifying a mouse or keyboard command, the usercan enlarge preview 54 (resulting in preview 56) in order to betterperceive its contents; this enables more efficient screening of therelevance of this preview result.

Activating link 58 embedded within preview 56 generates a preview 60 ofthe Web page represented by this link (FIG. 4).

Preview 60 is generated as a cascading window within the results pageshown in FIG. 2, thus allowing the user to remain within this page andto have instant access to all of its displayed previews.

If a user decides that preview 60 is not relevant, then preview 62 fromthe results list can be activated to generate magnified preview 64 (FIG.5). Alternatively or additionally, preview 66 can be magnified and alink therein can be activated to generate preview 68 (FIG. 6).

Eventually such rapid screening can yield a Web page of interest as isshown in FIGS. 7-9 which illustrate the magnification of preview 70 andthe sequential activation of links embedded within previews 72 and 74which result in preview 76 which represents a map of interest.

Following such screening the user can access the Web page represented byany preview via a simple mouse or keyboard command.

These previews were generated as images encoded in a flash file format.By using the Microsoft Internet Explorer engine (mshtml.dll, etc), theHTML page being previewed was parsed and rendered and disassembled intoit's basic elements including text, links, images, buttons, flashanimations, audio sounds, scripts, java applets, tables, etc.

For each basic element, a corresponding flash element was inserted intothe flash preview file. For example, a flash text element was insertedinto the flash preview file for each HTML text element of the originalHTML page. These elements were formatted into the appropriate shape andsize and inserted in the corresponding locations in the flash previewfile. The elements.

HTML elements which did not have corresponding flash elements (forexample: Java Applets) were rendered and then photographed. Theirpicture was sized and inserted into the flash preview file in thecorresponding location.

Any audio content in the original web page being previewed isre-recorded in a reduced audio quality (so as to be of a smaller filesize) and it also added to the generated preview. At present, there areavailable several commercial, shareware and freeware applications whichcan be used for such audio sampling.

Activatable links embedded within the image previews can be generatedvia, for example, the use of image maps or flash files. Image maps areareas on an image that activate a function when clicked (or even touchedby the mouse pointer). Flash files are versatile video/audio files thatcan be displayed by most Web browsers and can incorporate images,buttons, scripts, animation, sounds, and programming commands.

To accurately represent the activatable links within the generatedpreview the following guidelines are followed.

The size and location of some or all of the links and buttons in theoriginal web page should be determined (possibly by rendering theoriginal web page first); then, for each such link or button in theoriginal web page, a “hot spot” should be embedded inside the imagepreview (hot spots are areas on the image that activate a specifiedfunction and/or URL when clicked on).

Preferably, each hot spot placed in the image preview should be placedin the location on the image preview that corresponds to the originallocation of the link/button on the web page being previewed. Inaddition, each hot spot should have a size and shape which correspondsto that of the link/buttons of the original web page.

Furthermore, a JavaScript function may be associated with each such hotspot, or the hot spot may have a URL associated with it thus causing asecond preview to be generated when the hot spot is activated.

When using flash files to generate the activatable links embedded insidethe image previews the size and location of some or all of the links andbuttons in the original web page should be determined (possibly byrendering the original web page first). Then, for each such link orbutton in the original web page, a corresponding flash button should beembedded inside the image preview.

Preferably, each flash button placed in the image preview should beplaced in a location on the image preview which corresponds to thelocation of the original link/button. In addition, each flash buttonplaced in the image preview should have a size and shape whichcorresponds to that of the original link/button.

A script function may be associated with each flash button, or the flashbutton may have a URL associated with it.

A preview for Web pages represented by embedded links can be generatedas described above thus forming a cascade of previews (nested previews),or if so desired the user can access the actual Web page represented bythe link.

It will be appreciated that the generation of such preview cascades isparticularly advantageous since it allows the user to preview a Web pagewhich is several links away from the Web page returned by the search.

In any case, the system of the present invention enables a user toaccess preview information on any link, either embedded in a preview orpresented in an actual Web page accessed by the user.

For this example, the preferable system architecture will now bedescribed. It is to be understood that many other possible systemarchitecture exists, and the following architecture is given as anexample only, and is not intended to be limiting.

A “preview server” should be set up. This “preview server'” should berunning a web server, a database, a web spider, and a preview generator.

Preview requests can be made to the web server by using standard HTTPget requests (in most cases these requests will be made by the users webbrowser). The web server processes all such requests and attempts toretrieve the requested preview from the database. If the preview is notin the database, then the web server requests the preview from thepreview generator. The preview generator then uses the web spider todownload the web page being previewed, it then generates the preview (inthe manner explained above), and it then stores the preview in thedatabase. The web server then returns the requested preview to therequesting client.

With this architecture, previews can easily be added to any web page(and specifically to web pages that contain search result lists) veryeasily. This is done by embedding URL's that point to the desiredpreviews on the preview server into the HTML of the web page.

For this example, a user might query a search engine, and get back asearch result list with the URL's for the previews of the web pages inthe search result list embedded into the HTML of the search results webpage. The users web browser would then automatically retrieve the searchresult previews from the preview server and display them.

Another possible architecture could be to have the user query thepreview server directly. The preview server should then pass the usersquery to one or more search engines. The preview server should retrievethe search results list from the search engines, should then add thepreviews to the search results list, and should then return the searchresults list (with the previews) to the user.

Yet another possible architecture could be to combine the preview serverand the search engine into a single server.

Even yet another architecture could be for the users client to performthe search and generate the search results list by itself, without usinga search engine, and to then access the preview server in order to getthe previews for the search results list.

Even yet another architecture could be for the users client to performthe search using a search engine, and to then generate the previews byitself (in the manner explained above) without using a preview server.

Even yet another architecture could be for the users client to bothperform the search by itself (without using a search engine), and tothen generate the previews by itself (in the manner explained above)without using a preview server.

Many more possible architectures will be apparent, after reading thisdescription, to a person with ordinary skill in the art. All sucharchitectures are also intended to be covered by this patent.

It is appreciated that features described only in respect of one or someof the embodiments are applicable to other embodiments and that forreasons of space it is not possible to detail all possible combinations.Nevertheless, the scope of the above description extends to allreasonable combinations of the above described features.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specificembodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modificationsand variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the appended claims. All publications, patents and patentapplications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated intheir entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extentas if each individual publication, patent or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein byreference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference inthis application shall not be construed as an admission that suchreference is available as prior art to the present invention.

1. A system for previewing contents of Web files, the system comprisinga computing platform for executing a previewing application beingdesigned and configured for: (a) retrieving at least a portion of acontent and/or a source code of a Web page; and (b) generating an imagepreview of said content and/or said source code of said Web page, saidpreview presenting at least a portion of said content of said Web page,wherein said at least a portion of said content and/or said source codeof said Web page is converted from a first file type to a second filetype prior to, during or following said generating said image preview;and wherein at least a portion of said image preview is in a vectorformat.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a server being forproviding a link to said Web page.
 3. The system of claim 2, whereinsaid link is a hyperlink representing a Web address of said Web page. 4.The system of claim 2, wherein said server employs a search engineapplication and further wherein said hyperlink is presented thereby as aresult of a search query.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprisingat least one additional computing platform being capable of accessingand optionally displaying said image preview generated by said computingplatform.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein said image preview isscaleable without substantial loss of quality.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein said image preview includes activatable links embedded therein.8. The system of claim 7, wherein said activatable links are hyperlinks.9. The system of claim 1, wherein said Web page is stored by at leastone additional computing platform capable of communicating with saidcomputing platform.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein said computingplatform is further designed and configured for storing said imagepreview generated thereby.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein said atleast a portion of said content and/or said source code of said Web pageis retrieved from at least one user client communicating with saidcomputing platform.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least aportion of said content and/or said source code of said Web page isretrieved from a server being in communication with said computingplatform.
 13. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least oneadditional computing platform being in communication with said computingplatform, said at least one additional computing platform storing linksto said Web pages.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein said at least oneadditional computing platform executes a search engine applicationcapable of providing said links to said Web pages as part of a searchresult list.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein said at least oneadditional computing platform is a server or a user client.
 16. A methodof previewing contents of a Web page comprising: (a) retrieving at leasta portion of a content and/or a source code of the Web file; and (b)generating an image preview of said content and/or said source code ofthe Web page, said preview presenting at least a portion of saidcontent, wherein said at least a portion of said content and/or saidsource code of said Web page is converted from a first file type to asecond file type prior to, during or following said generating saidimage preview; and wherein at least a portion of said image preview isin a vector format.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein step (a) iseffected by linking to said Web page via a link thereof and downloadingsaid contents and/or said source of said Web page.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein said link is included in a results list of a Websearch.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein said image preview isgenerated in a manner enabling embedding of activatable links therein.20. The method of claim 19, wherein said activatable links arehyperlinks.
 21. The method of claim 16, wherein said image previewincludes an activatable link to said content of the Web page.
 22. Themethod of claim 16, wherein said image preview is scaleable withoutsubstantial loss of quality.
 23. A system enabling a user to surf theWorld Wide Web, the system comprising: (a) a database server includingimage previews of Web pages each of said image previews presenting atleast a portion of a content of a Web page, wherein said image previewsare in a file format different than that of said Web pages; and whereinat least a portion of each of said image previews is in a vector format;and (b) at least one user client being in communication with saiddatabase, said at least one user client being capable of accessing anddisplaying each of said image previews thereby enabling a user of saidat least one user client to surf the World Wide Web.
 24. The system ofclaim 23, wherein at least one of said image previews is generated bysaid database server according to a user command.
 25. The system ofclaim 23, wherein each of said image previews is scaleable withoutsubstantial loss of quality.
 26. The system of claim 23, wherein each ofsaid image previews includes an activatable link embedded therein. 27.The system of claim 26, wherein said activatable link is a hyperlink ofa Web page.
 28. The system of claim 27, wherein activation of saidhyperlink results in a display of an image preview of a content of a Webpage represented by said hyperlink.
 29. The system of claim 27, whereinactivation of said hyperlink results in access to a Web page representedby said hyperlink.